From Takeout to Five-Star Dining: Let's Do Lunch in Cancun

If you're a vegetarian or vegan this is your restaurant in Cancun, and even if you're not, you should still give Vegan Planet a try. Chef Miguel Bautista not only prepares amazing food completely free of animal components but also incorporates many superfoods and gives classes on how to prepare healthy, delicious vegan and raw dishes. The entire menu is vegan and many of the dishes are raw and include sushi, pastas, pizza, smoothies, sandwiches and Mexican favorites like chilaquiles, burritos, and molletes. For dessert, try a scrumptious brownie. The prices are very economical. They are open Mon-Sat 8 am-6 pm.

Le Natura is located in the heart of the Hotel Zone across the street from Senor Frogs, but once you enter this lush, green environment you'll forget that you are in one of the busiest areas of Cancun. They have an extensive menu geared towards fresh, healthy eating and many vegetarian dishes available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The prices are very reasonable, try the 69 pesos (5.25 USD) breakfast combos or the 95 peso (7.25 USD) lunch/dinner combos. The fresh juices and smoothies are a highlight but don't despair, Le Natura also serves beer, margaritas, daiquiris, etc. etc. This is a restaurant that you may want to visit more than once during your stay.

This tiny, open-air restaurant is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and they are always serving delicious food. Any time, day or night, you can order made-to-order burritos and tacos, nachos, taco salads, quesadillas, ceviche, and a few appetizers. After 11:30am, they fire up the grill and start serving barbecue beef ribs, hamburgers, barbecue garlic chicken, jerk chicken, and grilled chicken wings. There is also a full bar, so you can get a beer or cocktail at any hour. For breakfast, there are no traditional American breakfast favorites offered, but they do serve breakfast burritos and tacos, which have spicy Mexican sausage and beans inside them. It's a tasty option for breakfast so don't knock it until you try it. This place has low prices, with most dishes coming in at well under $100 pesos (so less than $10 US dollars). The breakfast burritos and tacos are $49 pesos, which is quite a bargain, since the burritos are huge.

El Galeon del Caribe aka Las Pescadillas, is a rustic (to say the least) hidden treasure in Cancun's Hotel Zone. Tucked in between the mangroves on Nichupte Lagoon at km 19.4 of Kukulcan Boulevard (across the street from the GR Solaris Cancun) Las Pescadillas, is essentially plastic chairs and tables under a palapa, has no electricity, but they serve the yummiest, freshest pescadillas (fried corn tortillas stuffed with fish) around. They also serve delicious ceviche, garlic shrimp, soft drinks, cold cerveza and more. This is traditional, authentic Mexican seafood at its best, and the price can't be beat. Oh, and there's no dress code.

There are many restaurants on the lagoon in Cancun, but Mocambo is one of the few oceanfront eateries in town. Located right next to Playa Caracol, a popular public beach, Mocambo serves up some of Cancun's best seafood. Open for lunch and dinner, guests may order from the menu or opt for the seafood buffet, which is available several times a week. The dining area is open-air and covered with a large palapa (thatched roof). There are gorgeous views of the island of Isla Mujeres off in the distance, as well as of the lighthouse which is located a short distance away on the property of Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa. Prices at Mocambo are quite reasonable and the service is good. Most importantly, the food is delicious.

Los de Pescado's menu is very small, but the economical items they serve are out of this world. This is a local favorite, with locations all over Cancun, including one in the Hotel Zone across the street from the InterContinental Presidente hotel and one in Plaza Kukulcan. This is great take-out food that reheats well and they even deliver. Menu items include fish or shrimp tacos, ceviche or ceviche tostadas, and fish or shrimp burritos. Have an ice cold beer with your lunch or dinner and do not miss the spicy white mayonnaise-based dressing and the other salsas they offer.

This is one of the best places in Cancun to go for a sandwich. Fresh baguettes or croissants are piled high with meats, cheeses, and vegetables. The garlic mayonaise served on these sandwiches makes them highly addictive. The restaurant opens early, for breakfast, and stays open until 10:00pm. At most times of the day, there is usually a crowd of people dining in the restaurant, or waiting near the counter to pick up get their take-out order. Breakfast offerings consist of croissants, boiled eggs, coffee, cappucino, espresso, hot chocolate, tea, fruit juice, or sandwiches. The most popular item on the menu is the Economica, an economically priced baguette sandwich. The sandwich consists of salami, cheese and peppers on a baguette. At the low price of only $15 pesos (around $1 USD), it's definitely a bargain. Other popular items are the Italian Sandwich, which has two meats, cheese, onions, cucumbers and vinegrette dressing, on a baguette. The Vegetarian Sandwich is an option for diners that don't eat meat. If you prefer your sandwich on a croissant instead of on a baguette, croissants can be substituted for five pesos more. Nothing on the menu costs more than $80 pesos, which makes this one of the least expensive spots in town. The delicious food and the low prices make this place a huge hit with locals and tourists alike. Closed Sundays.

This casual seafood restaurant is located smack in the middle of the Hotel Zone but it's a local favorite. El Fish Fritanga's restaurant is open daily from 11 am to 11 pm but their taco stand is open from 7 am until 1 am. This is a great spot for a family meal. They have high chairs and a changing station available and an outdoor kids play area. Prices on their menu range from 10 to 200 pesos (USD: 75 cents to 15 dollars). They are located on the lagoon so you'll enjoy a lovely view. They have all this to offer plus their food is delicious. Try the ceviche or fish tacos with a frosty chelada (prepared beer drink).

Blue Gecko Cantina is a tiny little restaurant with a palapa roof and a neon sign, located at kilometer 16 of Boulevard Kukulcan on the lagoon side of the street in Cancun's Hotel Zone. The place may be small, but the tacos are huge. The mixed or frozen margaritas, daiquiris and mojitos are to die for. All food and drinks are created with fresh ingredients. A friendly waitstaff and lively, casual atmosphere make Blue Gecko Cantina a great place to grab a bite along with a few cocktails. You'll probably find yourself staying late and visiting more than once during your Cancun vacation.

This beautifully decorated restaurant has lots of windows, with excellent views of the pool and the turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea. Open for breakfast and lunch, diners may order from the menu or enjoy an elaborate buffet with hot and cold dishes. During breakfast service, there is a Belgian waffle station and an omelette station, in addition to the large assortment of other dishes. Lox and bagels, fresh fruit, pastries, and traditional breakfast favorites, like bacon and eggs, are served on the buffet, alongside Mexican dishes, like refried beans, taquitos, and chilaquiles.